The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1782 First Day Frenzy
It was unexpected, but not entirely unexpected.

Shocked, yet not so shocked.

After all, that's Anson Wood. Anything that happens to Anson Wood, no matter how illogical, can seem to become reasonable.

Moreover, the current success is the result of Warner Music's meticulous management.

From album planning to promotional strategies, full distribution, and press releases, Warner Music had long been prepared, orchestrating the grandest and most sensational new album launch marketing campaign in its history. All the noise and excitement happening now was part of the plan.

Without a doubt, this was a resounding success!

But the presence of Anson Wood added an unknown factor, eventually turning into an overwhelming frenzy.

It's guaranteed to go viral.

Previously, "Sunflower" became a hit after "Spider-Man 2" was released, and it is still at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, with its popularity showing no signs of waning.

Now, "Dawn Breaks" has become a viral sensation, even attracting the attention of ordinary people who have no interest in music or movies.

Everyone longs to own a rainbow sunflower!

This small and cute accessory became the most fashionable and popular accessory item in the fall and winter of 2004. Even the ongoing New York Fashion Week felt this trend, with fashion-forward models, magazine editors, and pop stars all asking where this item came from.

The answer was, "It's a free gift with the album."

Completely stunned, they were at a loss for words to respond to such an unexpected answer, to the point that they doubted their ears and had to confirm it again and again.

Who would have thought that the hottest fashion item of 2004 would come from... an album?
However, after learning more about the details and realizing that the album was from Anson, those confusions and doubts seemed to naturally dissipate.

If it's Anson, anything is possible, right?

Riding this wave of hype, "Dawn Breaks" continued its expansion, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from big cities to small towns, from television to radio. Without exception, it made a high-profile debut, sweeping across the market. The momentum built since "Spider-Man 2" had already reached its peak, and now it inexplicably soared to a whole new level, truly transforming 2004 into a year focused solely on Onson, unmatched by anything else.

Only Anson!

Then, the drumbeats began, heartbeats pounded, and the entire music market erupted in excitement at Anson's appearance, without exception.

Judging from all the signs and rumors, "Dawn Breaks" has shown an overwhelming momentum. Even setting aside the popularity of Rainbow Sunflower, the album's release day saw shortages and stockouts in chain record stores in several major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, which is enough to raise expectations.

For the general public, the appearance of keywords like "out of stock" and "sold out" on the first day of album release seems unbelievable. No one is willing to believe it, and some even suspect that Warner Music deliberately released fake news to create buzz. But for professionals, they can understand.

With global physical album sales generally sluggish, not only record companies need to consider costs, but also chain record stores need to consider the market.

In the past two or three years, very few albums have managed to sell over 300,000 copies in a single week. The days of averaging 100,000 copies per week are long gone. Not only is the market sluggish in terms of average sales, but the golden age of records has also passed in terms of peak sales. Therefore, record companies and chain record stores are hesitant to expand their operations, as the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin.

Mariah Carey's lesson is still fresh in our minds.

It's easy to imagine that Warner Music distributed its records to record stores of all sizes across the United States. However, distribution is one thing, but inventory is another.

Clearly, neither Warner Music nor the chain record stores anticipated the phenomenal sales of "Dawn Breaks" on its first day. The unexpected situation with Rainbow Sunflower became an even more stimulating factor, leading to the astonishing and frustrating situation of selling out on the first day and running out of stock.

However, precisely because of this, from a professional perspective, the fact that all inventory was sold out on the first day is truly rare, even unprecedented.

Furthermore, judging from the current situation and trends, sales of "Dawn Breaks" should continue to soar in the coming week, and the entire music industry is instantly in a frenzy. Just as Hollywood is eagerly anticipating "Spider-Man 2" making history, the record industry is also united like never before.

Are you envious? Are you jealous?
Of course, other record companies were envious of Dawn's success; but beyond these personal feelings, there was more excitement and anticipation.

No one is more eager to see "Dawn Breaks" reignite market enthusiasm than Warner Music's competitors, and no one is more eager to see the record market recover than Universal Music, which currently holds the largest global market share. If "Dawn Breaks" can recreate the glory of the record market, it will be the dawn of hope for the entire industry.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the entire record industry temporarily united, praying that Anson could become their savior.

So, how many copies of "Dawn Breaks" were actually sold?

In North America, album sales data is usually calculated on a weekly basis, with very little regard for daily sales. Especially in recent years, with the overall market slump, there is no need to calculate daily sales. All historical records are arranged in terms of weekly sales.

Furthermore, as mentioned before, the North American music market is slightly different from other markets.

In Asia—especially East Asia—album sales often rely on the first week of release. Sales in the first week of a new album's release can account for 90% or even more of the total sales. This short-term burst of sales is released all at once, and then sales almost stop afterward.

In North America, however, album sales tend to be measured over the long term, with albums continuing to sell for a year, two years, or even five or ten years.

Putting aside other things, "Midsummer Night" is a prime example. Two years have passed since the album's release, yet it still holds a high position on the Billboard album chart, with consistently strong and stable sales.

Because of this characteristic, the first-week sales of albums in North America are not particularly strong, far from comparable to those in Asia.

To date, the highest first-week album sales in North American history is "No-Strings-Attached".

This album was released by *NSYNC in March 2000, achieving an impressive sales figure of 2.4 million copies in a single week. It remains the only album in North America to have sold over two million copies in a single week, a feat unmatched by any other album.

In fact, let alone two million copies, only a handful of albums in the history of North America have ever sold over one million copies in a single week—a mere fourteen; and every single one of them is a classic.
Eminem, Britney Spears, Usher, Whitney Houston, Norah Jones, Backstreet Boys, The Beatles, and so on.

Now, all eyes are on Anson. Will "Dawn Breaks" become the fifteenth card?
(End of this chapter)